Ensuring Military Readiness Through Stability and Predictability Deployment Policy Act of 2007
August 02, 2007
Rep. Maxine Waters [D-CA]: Ms. WATERS. I would like to commend the gentlelady from California for the tremendous work that she has done, not only to deal with all of the problems of our being in Iraq, but for bringing this legislation to the floor.
The U.S. has been at war in Afghanistan since October 7, 2001, and in Iraq since March 19, 2003. Since that time, over 1 million troops have been deployed to Iraq, in total, with 500,000 having been deployed at least twice.
These numbers are rapidly growing at the detriment of the military. There are currently 160,000 troops on active duty in Iraq.
To keep up this level of deployment with an all-volunteer military, the administration is cutting corners on previous rules on troop deployment limits and rest times. Our military is being ground down to the hilt, and it's near the breaking point.
In recent briefings, Major General Batiste said young officers and noncommissioned officers are leaving the service at an alarming rate. Equipment is in dismal shape, requiring hundreds of billions of dollars to refit the force to preinvasion conditions. Active duty companies preparing for deployment to Iraq within the next 6 months are at less than 50 percent strength, are commanded by young and sometimes inexperienced lieutenants, and are lacking the equipment needed for training. Our all-volunteer force cannot sustain the current attempt for much longer.
The lack of deployment limits and dwell times have taken an incredible strain on the individuals who have been asked to shoulder this burden. Post-traumatic stress disorder and similar illnesses are significantly amplified by enduring or repeated deployments to Iraq.
Consequently, our men and women in uniform are returning with levels of mental illness not seen since Vietnam. According to a recent study by the Department of Defense, 49 percent of National Guardsmen report mental health problems. Let us not forget the hidden casualties of the war in Iraq, the families.
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Contact: Mikael Moore
202-225-2201
